EXPATS ALLEGE UNJUST TREATMENT UPON REPATRIATION

by Zulfick Farzan 30-12-2020 | 7:01 PM

Colombo (News 1st); Sri Lankans being repatriated to the country allege they are denied the opportunity to undergo quarantine at a hotel of their choosing and at an affordable cost.

A Sri Lankan expatriate who returned to the country with his Israeli employer said upon arrival they were forced to move to a hotel in Bentota at a cost of Rs. 210,000 for 14-days quarantine.

He said air travel cost them over Rs. 400,000 in addition to another Rs. 19,000 for PCR tests at the airport.

"I am not certain if the President is aware of this. How can anyone afford this?," he questioned adding their hard-earned money is being looted.

Another Sri Lankan expatriate in Kuwait said his contract expired and he has no way of returning to Sri Lanka as the fee charged for repatriation is unaffordable.

He said the cost of the ticket to travel to Sri Lanka is his salary for 04 months, adding there are many like him stranded in the middle east with no way of returning home.

Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said the government had already repatriated more than 50,000 Sri Lankans and another 35,000 Sri Lankas will be repatriated in the future.